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CNET Editors' Rating

The GoodThe Toshiba Satellite L755-S5166 covers all bases of what constitutes a decent laptop experience, for the most part.

The BadFor about the same price, alternatives are out there that offer bigger bang, and better processors, for the buck. This machine excels at little, and it's bulky, too.

The Bottom LineThe Toshiba Satellite L755-S5166 is neither the best value nor the best total package, but it's a fine middle-of-the-road laptop. However, odds are that better, newer versions are right around the corner.

6.0 Overall

Design6.0

Features5.0

Performance7.0

Battery life6.0

Service and support7.0

Review Sections

How much do you expect out of a $500 laptop? The Toshiba Satellite L755-S5166 is a classic example of what roughly $549 can buy nowadays when it comes to a mainstream machine: this Toshiba laptop is thick and large-screened (15.6 inches), but lacks any features we'd call stand-out.

The Satellite L755-S5166 is one of a great many budget-range laptops Toshiba seems to churn out with ease, only in this case it's outfitted with a Sandy Bridge second-gen Intel Core i3 processor, a 500GB hard drive, and 4GB of RAM. You could do a lot worse for your $550, but then again, this isn't much different from the average laptop $499 you could buy last year. In fact, we've seen better for less: last year's $550 Lenovo Essential G570 offered a faster Core i5 processor. This Satellite isn't a rip-off, but it's not the hands-down great value it wants you to think it is.

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Sarah Tew

No matter what, consider waiting a month or so before buying a laptop like this. Imminent design and processor upgrades are coming for many computers that should provide more value for your money, lessening the bang for the buck that's the Satellite L755-S5166's only calling card. And, as I already said, that bang isn't even that big. Bottom line: you can do better.

The Satellite L of this year looks like the Satellite L of last year: glossy plastic, a thick body, and a brushed blue aluminum lid and palmrest. It's not horribly unattractive, but it's definitely not an exciting laptop by anyone's definition.

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Sarah Tew

A big, wide keyboard and adjacent number pad offer lots of roomy typing space, but the keys are of the flat-topped, closely packed variety instead of the more common raised island-style keys. The keyboard works well, but feels cheaper than higher-end products, and that keyboard style is quickly dying out, even on lower-end products.

The touch pad beneath is a joke: it's way too narrow and tiny, and it's only exaggerated more by a pair of giant curved plastic left and right buttons below. A responsive touch pad surface doesn't justify the lack of space for multifinger gestures, and this pad is simply too small for even basic gestures on a midsize laptop.

The 15.6-inch display is standard-issue: glossy-coated, 1,366x768-pixel resolution, and suitable quality. Toshiba's displays tend to be better than average for budget laptops, and colors show pop, but viewing angles are, as one would expect on a generic budget machine, lousy. Spend closer to $1,000, and you'll find 15-inch laptops with 1,600x900-pixel or better resolutions, but at these prices, 1,366x768-pixel is fine.

Stereo speakers above the keyboard offer clear sound that lacks extra power or definition: they're better than average bargain laptop speakers, but not the higher-end ones in other Satellites.

The port and connection offerings on this particular Satellite are lost somewhere in the year 2009. No USB 3.0, no Bluetooth, and...well, that's pretty disappointing. Nearly any Windows laptop, even a $600 one, has USB 3.0 nowadays. For a 15-incher, this is bare-bones. To add insult to injury, a blocked-up outdated modem port graces one side of the generic plastic undercarriage.

On the other hand, this Satellite does have some fair specs: 4GB of RAM, and a larger-than-average 640GB hard drive. Some people would rather have 140GB less storage in exchange for Bluetooth and USB 3.0. I know I would.

Scott Stein is a senior editor covering iOS and laptop reviews, mobile computing, video games, and tech culture. He has previously written for both mainstream and technology enthusiast publications including Wired, Esquire.com, Men's Journal, and Maxim, and regularly appears on TV and radio talking tech trends.
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